Cassette Deck History

On your mark, cassette, go!

Like they did with the compact disc, Philips introduced the world to the cassette long before it became a household staple.  In 1963, a compact cassette was being used for dictation and note-taking by professionals riding the cusp of technology.  They did not attempt to dethrone the 33 RPM or the 8-track due to a tape hiss intolerable for listening to music. 

In 1971, Nakamichi debuted the first Hi-Fi audio cassette player that won the public's approval.  They looked like clunky answering machines from the late 80s, but offered an acceptable sound largely due to Dolby's B-type noise reduction.  Short work was made of the 8-track as the cassette player moved into every home and car stereo providing less flutter and a more compact format. 

The heyday of the cassette deck began in the 1980s when the market was strongest and technology advanced regularly.  Dual heads (not to be confused with decks) made recording at home simple and cheap.  Later, machines with two decks were released, bringing with them the age of unsolicited and sentimental mix tapes as the most genuine manner for expressing friendship.  Capstans, the cylindrical drivers that move the tape, became bi-directional and more reliable.  When combined with auto-reverse, listeners could enjoy hours of music with minimal flutter and no tape-flipping.

The finish line is in sight

And so began the world's decade-or-so love affair with one of the more clumsy mediums for recorded music.  Companies like Akai, Pioneer, Sony, Technics, Yamaha, and Denon enjoyed great success over other short-lived, competing formats like the Elcaset and DAT.  DAT recordings did have a viable edge in quality over cassettes, but only recording professionals preferred them.  Elcaset, Sony's attempt at an improvement, really had nothing to offer over the cassette and quickly disappeared into obscurity. 

The cassette's future is questionable at best.  Magnetic tape deterioration is indeed a reality, despite being overplayed by companies promoting expensive analog to digital conversion hardware.  The professed pending disaster is no less than the loss of forty years of news, history and music due to the breakdown of the glue that holds the magnetic particles to the tape's polyester base.  Those peddling these converters are counting on consumers who want to digitally store their cassettes and put their digital music on tape.  The converter's success is tied to the plummeting cassette, and both novelties can expect condemnation to the discount rack.

More information on cassettes